


Krypto the Voltron Dog

by BossToaster (ChaoticReactions)



Series: 2k Follower Special Sequels [2]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Gen, Give Shiro a Dog 2k17, Shiro (Voltron)-centric
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-27
Updated: 2017-08-27
Packaged: 2018-12-20 15:42:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,380
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11924037
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChaoticReactions/pseuds/BossToaster
Summary: "krypto the amazing space-pup.the bestest space-pup of all"-ButteredonionsOn a mission, Shiro finds a dog.  An Earth dog.





	Krypto the Voltron Dog

**Author's Note:**

> Part of the 2k Follower Special
> 
> Technically this didn't win, but I promised Butteredonions that if Krypto got 4th, I'd write it. So I did. Enjoy!

“Should I go get Yellow?” Hunk asked quietly. He bit his lip, eyes wide. “I think we’re going to need some lifting power.”

Shiro considered, then shook his head and sighed. “Not yet. We’ll look around more. I want to know what we’re seeing before we start stomping around the with lions.”

“Not much to stomp on,” Lance offered, voice soft.

He wasn’t wrong.

What had just three days ago been a bustling metropolis, not dissimilar to what they’d have seen on Earth, was now little more than dust and rubble.

The Galra had destroyed it. Only a warning from the Blade of Marmora had kept the strike from being a complete surprise.

Buildings had collapsed or been knocked down, and a layer of dust and grime had fallen over everything. It had rained recently, leaving a layer of gritty muck absolutely coating the city. Shiro suspected the muddy rain was caused by all the fine debris in the air.

It was terrifying close to what it might look like if the Galra hit a big city on Earth. Shiro’s stomach twisted hard until he pushed the thought away. 

Not now. Not here.

Pidge tapped her wrist, projecting a map of the city ahead of her. “Alright, town hall is that way.” She pointed ahead and to the left. “Let’s get this over quickly.”

“Do we really think we’re going to find anything?” Keith asked. “Everything digital is gone. No computer system survived the buildings going down.”

Pidge shrugged. “Hard drives might have. Supplies. Cabinets. Physical paperwork.”

“Pidge is right,” Shiro replied, starting down what had once been the road. They had to carefully pick and climb their way against the rubble. The open, broken structures groaned under their own weight and in the wind, making Shiro’s head whip around for a new threat.

Hunk shuddered and climbed over a broken beam. “Let’s look quick. Do we need anywhere other than city hall?”

“There were a couple other places,” Lance said, ticking off his fingers. “But if we don’t find anything there, I don’t know what else would have survived. They can try themselves later, when we’re sure no one’s coming back.” He glanced up at the cloudy sky, his lips pressed thin.

Well, if the Galra came back, their lions could meet them in seconds. But Shiro couldn’t deny the possibility that the Galra would return for a second strike. Their tactics had gone from crushing to outright nasty since Zarkon’s fall. He didn’t put it past them for to strike when survivors were trying to pick up the pieces.

“Should…” Hunk took a deep breath. “Should we be looking for heat signatures of something?”

Keith’s head picked up and whipped over to stare at Hunk. “The city was evacuated.”

Shrugging, Hunk looked around. “Yeah, but evacuated doesn’t mean empty. Not really. Some people might not have wanted to leave, or couldn’t and got lost, or didn’t have a home so no one knew where to look for them to get them out…”

“It’s been two days,” Pidge replied, voice small. “And that blast was bad. If anyone was here, I don’t think…”

Anyone trapped or who had stayed behind was probably already dead.

Hunk stared down at his feet as they trudged their way toward city hall. “It was just a thought.”

“There’s nothing stopping us,” Lance pointed out. “Why not at least look?”

“We can’t do much searching now,” Shiro said, eyes firmly on cracked dome ruins ahead of them. That was probably city hall. “The suits won’t pick up anything worthwhile. When we get back to the lions. Or- Princess? Coran?”

The comm clicked as they picked up. “We have scans started,” Allura confirmed. “Heat signatures are one of them. If there’s anything to be found, we’ll let you know.”

Hunk’s shoulders slumped in relief. “Okay. Good. I know we probably won’t find anyone, but… We should at least try.”

“You’re right,” Shiro agreed. “We’ll do our best. But we got out everyone we possibly could. The Galra didn’t get what they wanted.”

A hint of a smile pulled up Pidge’s lips. “I wish I could have been there when they found out they hit an empt- evacuated city.”

“Whaaaat?” Lance gasped dramatically, both gloves clapped onto either side of his helmet. “And we would have gotten away with it, too!”

Keith snorted. “If not for you pesky paladins.” He paused when Hunk, Pidge, and Lance all paused to look at him. “What? I don’t get every joke, but I’ve watched TV before.”

Shaking his head, Shiro focused on starting to climb the rubble. They needed to joke. The crumbled ruins of a city around them was all too real a reminder of what the Galra could do. It was one thing to see a planet occupied. It was another to see it reduced to rubble. He’d let them have their breather.

In the meantime, there was work to be done.

Ducking under the shattered dome of the building, Shiro glanced down. He could see parts of the inside of the building, including what might have been desks. They were all coated in more of that plaster-like dust, and there wasn’t a single one that was still in one piece.

“Heads up, I’m jumping in,” Shiro replied, tapping his helmet so it covered his face again. “Be careful when you’re looking around. This isn’t stable at all.”

There was a pause. “Should you be going in at all, then?” Hunk asked carefully.

“I’m wearing armor,” Shiro replied, shrugging. Then he hopped down.

His landing sent up a cloud of dust. Shiro held out his wrist and activated the flashlight in the armor. The light swirled with the trapped air and dirt, not letting him see any further.

Shiro tapped his foot on the ground, considering. “Footing seems solid, but visibility is bad. I don’t advise anyone follows me this way. I’m going to look around for ten, then get back up with the jet pack.”

“No, only Shiro gets to jump down dark holes on a whim,” Lance drawled back. “Gotcha. Will do.”

Shiro rolled his eyes and slid his foot forward, testing the strength of the floor before taking another. He repeated that several times, inching forward until he was more confident in the structure. By then, the dust had started to settle again, letting him see further.

Parts of the room were utterly collapsed in. The whole thing was at an awful angle. This had probably been the second or third floor at some point, but one side touched down on the ground, and the other jutted up at almost 20 degrees. There was what might have been a door frame toward the top section, though now it was destroyed and filled with debris. Another strained under the weight of the walls, but there was a dark hole that lead to another room.

“Allura, Coran, how are we doing?” Keith asked. “Any sign of trouble?”

There was a quiet hum. “No, skies are still clear, and no energy spikes that would mean incoming hyperspace jumps. All other scans are clear. No significant- wait.” Coran paused, then let out a quiet, curious noise. “One, two, three, four, five… six.”

“Let me see,” Allura said. “There’s another signature close. It looks like it’s inside the main part of the rubble.”

Shiro’s brows rose. “That might be me.”

“No, number one, there are two where you are.”

There was someone in here?

Shiro whirled in place, his flashlight illuminating dark corners. But the rubble created all sorts of nooks and crannies, casting more shadows each time Shiro tried to see more.

“You see anyone?” Pidge asked.

Shiro shook his head, mostly to himself. “No. No signs of anyone. Except-” Shiro turned toward that doorway again.

“Except what?” Hunk asked.

Rather than answer, Shiro carefully crept his way down the incline. In the dust it was hard to keep his footing. More than once he slid, and his arms windmilled to keep himself up. But eventually he was even with the ground again, and he could peer straight through to the next room. Then Shiro raised his arm and shone the light down it.

Two glowing eyes appeared.

Yelping, Shiro jolted away. The back of his heel hit part of one of the desks, sending him crashing onto the ground. “Ow!”

“Shiro?” Keith asked. “Hold on, I can come in.”

Ah, jeez. “No, I just fell. Wait.” Shiro rolled his shoulders and sat up, then pointed the flashlight down the dark doorway again.

This time, Shiro was prepared for the eyes, not glowing but reflecting the bright light. He wasn’t prepared for the profile that went with them, covered in matted, pale fur and crinkled in a snarl.

Because he recognized that face.

“Kaguya?”

There was a pause. “You recognize them?” Allura asked carefully.

Slowly, Shiro shook his head. “No, sorry, they look like-” He swallowed hard. “That’s a dog. That’s an Earth dog.”

It was. Not even similar, the creature in this building with Shiro absolutely was a dog. Their face shape was much like a Akita - same as his childhood dog, Kaguya. There were differences, but it was in breed, not in species. Their left ear flopped down, and their build was slightly different, the tail less curled.

But that was a dog.

“You’re kidding!” Lance breathed. “No way. Why would there be a dog here?”

“You have a cow,” Keith pointed out. “Why not a dog? Maybe there was one of those weird Earth stores here. It’s a big city.”

Pidge made curious noise. “How’d the dog get in there? Can you see?”

Creeping forward, Shiro kept his hand up. “Hey there,” he murmured. “It’s okay. I’m not going to hurt you.”

There was a quiet pause. Then Hunk spoke up. “Shiro, is your helmet closed? I can hear the echo.”

Oh, right.

He tapped the side of it, letting his face show. “Hello, little one. Shhh, it’s okay.”

But the dog scrambled backwards from him, fur bristled and whole body close to the ground. They were ready to fight or run. When they moved, Shiro could see more of the room behind them, including a hint of light. Probably there was a crack somewhere in the room where the dog had crawled through.

“Does anyone have food on them?” Shiro asked.

There was a pause. “I have an energy bar,” Keith offered. “I don’t think dogs eat that.”

Pidge sighed. “I’ve got that kinda-sandwich they gave us for lunch,” she admitted. “It was gross, so I just put it in my bag.”

Shiro tilted his head, thinking about it. That had meat on it. It’d do. “Can you throw it to me? And check out the far side of the rubble. There should be an opening. I think I can see it.”

“Gotcha,” Pidge called. “I’m literally going to throw it. It’s still wrapped, it’s fine.” True to her word, a shadow covered the pseudo-skylight of the hole above, then something dropped.

Reaching up the incline, Shiro snagged onto the sandwich. “Great. Thank you, Pidge.”

“At least someone’ll enjoy it,” Pidge muttered.

“I’ll try and figure out a bowl for water,” Hunk added. “I don’t think I can drop that, though. You’ll have to get the poor thing out.”

Keith snorted. “I think we forgot about the actual mission.”

“This is a bust,” Shiro replied. “This whole place is a mess. But at least we can do something useful, here. You didn’t find anything else, Coran, Princess?”

Coran hummed a negative. “Nope, not that we could detect. There could be more, but not within the area we’re looking at. Just the one.”

“Pardon me, I have a question.” Allura paused, like she was thinking how to word this. “What exactly is a ‘dog’?”

Oh, right.

“A canine?” Lance tried. “Four legs, fluffy, carnivore, cute pet? Like a wolf?”

Pidge snorted. “What makes you think they know what a wolf is?”

“They have lions. And mice!”

That made Pidge pause. “Alright, point.”

Allura stayed quiet for a long moment. “These creatures are… predators? Domestic, like your cow?”

“Pets,” Hunk replied. “Like the mice.”

While they caught the Alteans up on the concept of dogs, Shiro unwrapped the sandwich and the let the smell of it fill the room. The dog didn’t move, but the dark nose twitched wildly as they scented food. “Hey, there,” Shiro murmured gently. “What a good puppy you are. You’re probably hungry, right? Not a lot of food here. C’mon, let’s try this.” He pulled out part of whatever the meat was in the sandwich.

It wasn’t from Earth, but it seemed to do well enough to the paladin’s stomachs, so hopefully this dog would be alright as well.

Taking a deep breath, Shiro tossed it into the room with the dog. They flinched back from it, but then paused. Their nose continued to work, taking audible sniffs of the air.  Then they darted forward and gobbled it up.

Hopefully all that plaster or whatever wasn’t too toxic. If it was, the dog was already covered in it, so there was only so much Shiro could do.

“There you are,” Shiro murmured gently. “Isn’t that yummy? Look how much more food I have. You want that? Yes, you do. I bet you do.”

The conversation in the helmet paused. “It is customary to speak to companion animals in that tone?” Allura asked carefully.

Lance laughed. “Oh, yeah. Kind of weird from Shiro through, right?”

“You’ve clearly never seen Shiro around dogs before,” Keith muttered, but it was fond.

Ignoring them again, Shiro ripped off another piece and threw it, this time on the other side of the doorway. The dog crept forward, eyes watching Shiro carefully. But they squeezed through the hole to eat that as well.

It was hard to tell exactly how big they were. Between the matted fur and skinny frame, Shiro couldn’t tell how old the dog was, much less exactly how heavy it should be.

Yeah, Shiro wasn’t leaving this dog here. Not on his life.

Now that the next scrap was gone, the dog watched Shiro carefully. The tip of their tail twitched, a hint of something friendly.

Shiro tossed another piece of the sandwich, this time halfway between them. The dog’s ears flattened backwards and they looked between the food and Shiro, clearly torn. But they took a careful step forward then another, until they were just feet apart, then gobbled up the food.

Considering, Shiro looked at the dog, then down at the sandwich in his hand.

Ah, hell. He was wearing armored gloves. Might as well.

Breaking the sandwich in half, Shiro offered it to the dog, only holding onto the very edge.

The dog eyed the food warily, ears still back. But then took a step forward and edged closer, mouth cracking open.

Then they darted forward and snapped at the food. It was just at the edge, so Shiro at least didn’t get his fingers bit.

The dog retreated a foot or two, then dropped the food to start eating it properly. They kept Shiro in sight, but otherwise seemed to relax somewhat to his presence. When they finished, then turned back to him, eyes bright and eager.

Clever thing. And possibly a pet, at one point. They were raggedy now, but they had picked up very quickly that strange beings could mean food.

This time, Shiro offered his empty hand. The dog sniffed it, then shot him a wide-eyed looked, nearly betrayed.

“I know, I know, no food this time. But I wanted to introduce myself. Hi there.” He stretched his open palm forward, careful and slow.

The dog watched, inching away at first, then settling into place as Shiro stroked down their back.

“There we go,” he murmured. “What a good job you’re doing. Can you wait here? I’m going to-” Shiro stood properly and looked down the hole again. From here he could see the crack on the other side better. Not big enough for them both.

Ah, boy.

But the dog was still watching him, tail starting to wag more. So maybe.

“Okay, I’m going to have to pick you up, buddy,” Shiro murmured. “Okay? I’m so sorry about that, but you get more food after. That good with you?”

Predictably, the dog didn’t answer, just watched his hand for more food.

Shiro took a deep breath and activated his helmet again. Then he bent down and scooped the dog up.

Immediately they scrambled, snarling in his grip. But Shiro took one big step up the incline of the floor then pushed off, his jet pack activating. It took them both back up and into the sky. Another bound brought them to the ground properly. Shiro put the dog down, and they scrambled back away, growling.

“Sorry!” Shiro said, turning off the face covering again. “I’m so sorry, lil buddy. Here. More sandwich. See? It’s okay. Good job. Good dog.”

The dog was lured back with food, until they settled against his side again.

“That really is a dog,” Lance breathed, coming around another pile of rubble. He started to move closer, but the dog bristled and hid behind Shiro, so he stopped. “Aww, no fair, I don’t have food.”

“Give them a minute,” Shiro replied. He ran his hand down the dog’s back again, trying to soothe through the knots. They stank, now that Shiro was right up next to them. “They-” He paused, then tilted his head down for a better angle below the dog. “Uh, he just needs a minute. He’s been pretty friendly so far.”

Keith hopped down as well, keeping careful distance to keep from spooking the dog. “For a stray.”

Shiro shrugged. “I don’t know that they always were. They were pretty trusting of the food. Maybe they’ve been owned before. You said there were stores that sold Earth animals, right? Maybe someone ended up with puppies. They’re definitely mixed breed.”

A crunch above him made both Shiro and the dog look up together. Pidge draped over a beam like a jungle cat on a branch, smiling down. “Aww, poor lil guy. We’re taking him home, right?”

“Absolutely,” Lance replied. “What else are we going to do? Leave them here?” He paused. “You find anything, Hunk?”

There was a sigh. “No, nothing I’d let a living creature drink from.”

“Thanks for trying,” Shiro replied. He kneeled down to rub down the sides of the dog’s neck. “I suppose we should bring them back to the rest of the natives-”

“Um, no,” Pidge interrupted, hanging down from the beam and dropping to the ground. “That’s an Earth dog. We call dibs.”

Hunk rounded the corner and shrugged. “We keep Kaltenecker just fine, and the mice too. I don’t see why we couldn’t have a dog.”

“We have a mascot now!” Lance added, hands folded over his chest. “We’ll get him lil doggie armor to match.”

Rolling his eyes under his visor, Keith shook his head. “Shiro, you know you want to. You really think you could hand that dog over?”

Probably not, if he was being honest. But that wasn’t Shiro’s call. As much as he’d like to have the dog stick around, it wasn’t his call. “Princess?”

There was a pause. “I’m not sure the appeal has been explained well,” Allura offered. “But I don’t see a problem with it. Provided we stop collecting animals, no matter their planet of origin.”

“Promise,” Lance replied easily. “So we can keep him? Can we, Princess? He followed us home!”

Allura paused. “I thought I just said you could.”

While Lance laughed at his own joke, Shiro tempted the dog along with the last of the food. There was a warm, liquid feeling in his chest like he’d swallowed a lot of coffee too quickly.

Shiro really, really hoped it worked out with this dog. Otherwise it was going to break his heart.

Stepping closer, Pidge kneeled down too so the dog could sniff her hand. “What are you going to name him?”

Shiro bit the inside of his cheek, considering. He looked around at the ruined, empty remains of this dog’s world in a desperate bid for inspiration.

Then he smiled.

“Krypto.”

 

***

By evening that night, Krypto seemed to have picked up on two things.

The first was that a certain tone of voice, speaking around two syllables that ended in an ‘o’ sound, meant someone wanted his attention. Pidge and Lance had tested this as extensively as they could. Krypto would also respond to ‘Primo’, ‘Cheapo’, ‘Velcro’, ‘Doggo’, ‘Techno’, and ‘Churro.’ He did not respond to ‘Hey, Dog’ or ‘Shiro is a dweeb’.

The second was that Shiro was the source of food, and that he was to be followed at all times.

Really, that wasn’t even true. Hunk had given Krypto food and water, and they’d all taken turns giving him treats to train him to respond to his name. But Shiro had been first, and he was maybe a little liberal with scratches and cooing. So Krypto stayed.

Shiro couldn’t say he minded.

What that meant in practice was that while the other paladins already complained that Shiro was hogging the dog, he didn’t really feel like Krypto’s favorite. Krypto wasn’t interested in playing. He wasn’t interested in letting Shiro sit there and rub his ears. He wanted to keep Shiro’s hands in his line of sight at all times, in case there was food to be had.

Cupboard love, really.

Which, yes, was probably the first step. But Shiro wanted something different. He wanted what he remembered from Kaguya.

For as long as Shiro could remember, Kaguya had been patient and gentle with him. Even as a toddler, over eager and curious, she’d accepted his tugging and gripping with grace. More so than anyone could have expected of her. And when she was bored of Shiro trying to play and chase her, she’d just lay down on top of him and pin his four year old body down. He’d giggle and try to squirm free, then fall asleep hugging her.

But Kaguya had been an older dog even back then, and she’d passed a few years later, before Shiro moved to the US. It was probably for the best. She wouldn’t have appreciated the change, no doubt. Moving an elderly dog overseas would have been hard on everyone.

Still, Shiro had missed her, even more when he was in an unfamiliar country, needing to relearn everything. He could have used a companion to keep him company during those years.

So if Shiro was a little dog crazy, he felt like that was allowed.

But Krypto wasn’t reading from the same script as Shiro yet. Maybe he would never. If that turned out to be the case, Shiro would live with it. Krypto was allowed to like what he liked. But Shiro bet he’d like some affection if he was just offered it. Dogs needed petting and love, right? Like people did. He’d accepted the neck pats with good grace, after all.

Shiro knew what it was like to go without affection. So he’d try and see where that took them.

Wandering into the rec room, Shiro glanced around. This plan wouldn’t work if any of the other paladins were here, because they’d want to play with Krypto or try to start teaching in tricks. But it was empty for the moment.

Perfect.

Stepping over to the couch, Shiro sat down on the far cushion, then pulled out a pad and proceeded to ignore the dog.

Krypto sat by his feet, watching Shiro’s hands intently.

It physically hurt to ignore Krypto’s expectant, eager look. He didn’t have the food Krypto wanted, and his excellent nose should have told him that.

But if Shiro broke, he’d go back to trying to pet Krypto, and it would just cycle back to the same thing. He’d reach to try and scruff Krypto’s neck, but Krypto would strain and back up so he could keep track of Shiro’s hands in case of food.

It was time for a new strategy.

Eventually, Krypto’s tail stilled. He placed a paw on Shiro’s leg, then higher when that was ignored too.

Over the top of his pad, Shiro watched without meeting Krypto’s gaze. He wanted to see what the dog would do with this.

Finally, Krypto stood and gave an impatient ‘woof’. It wasn’t quite a bark, more like the dog equivalent of ‘excuse me’.

Shiro ignored that too, swallowing against the desire to bundle him up and kiss his head.

When that didn’t work either, Krypto let out a whine. Then he hopped up on the couch and put his paw on Shiro’s arm instead, tapping impatiently.

Still no response.

Giving another half-bark, Krypto sat down and stared at Shiro like he was being difficult. Then he flopped down on his stomach, head on Shiro’s thigh and giving dramatic, tiny whines.

Only then did Shiro hold his hand up for inspection.

Krypto gave it a careful sniff, like Shiro was somehow hiding food somewhere on his palm. He gave a quick lick, then put his head back down with a ‘wuff’.

That was when Shiro started to pet.

At first, Krypto picked his head up and trained to crane it around to watch, tongue out as he tried to lick the elusive fingers. But after a few moments he stopped, watching Shiro’s face instead.

Shiro held his breath as he ran his fingers down Krypto’s back, starting from the back of his neck and down to the base of his tail.

Krypto just laid there and watched.

“Good boy,” Shiro murmured. “That’s a good boy. Isn’t that nice?”

Krypto tilted his head, his one down ear flopping from the movement. He seemed to decide that Shiro’s words weren’t very interesting, and he put his head back down on Shiro’s thigh.

Slowly, Shiro inched his fingers up and scratched Krypto behind the ears, going in slow, steady circles. At first, Krypto’s eyes snapped back open, wide and confused, but then they closed in bliss.

There it was. That was what Shiro wanted to see.

“Good boy,” Shiro murmured again, barely above a whisper. “That’s nice, right? To just be touched. It’s warm and peaceful and it means things are good.” He switched to petting again as the mood took him. “I means someone wants you to feel nice. It’s hard, when you don’t remember what that’s like. I know. But it feels so good.”

Krypto’s tail gave a lazy wag, acknowledging that the tone was for him, but he didn’t open his eyes at all.

There were no more knots to work out of Krypto’s fur. Shiro had already buzzed him down to get rid of all the matting and knots, then given him a very reluctant bath. They’d had him scanned for bugs, and Coran would let them know later if he found any health problems.

So all Shiro had to do was rub his fingers into the scruff of Krypto’s neck and try to find the spots that made him look the happiest.

It was a job Shiro took very seriously.

“You’re doing well,” Shiro murmured. Krypto’s upright ear twitched, turning toward him properly, but then relaxed again. “You really are. This is such a strange place with all new people. A different species, even. And you’re just ready for food and pets, aren’t you? Simple as that.”

Curiosity took over, and Shiro ran his fingers down the floppy ear. It was covered in a soft fuzz, coming down to a gentle, rounded point When Shiro tapped it, Krypto’s whole ear shuddered and he gave a tiny shake of his head. “Sorry, I’ll stop. Is this a puppy thing? Or is it because you’re mixed? You’re definitely not a purebred.”

There were little differences. Krypto’s legs seemed a bit shorter than Kaguya’s had been, and there was a golden sheen to his otherwise white fur, now visible without so much brown muck in the way. The shape of his face was mostly like Kaguya, but the muzzle was slightly rounder.

Whatever was mixed into Krypto, Shiro had no idea. He might have been born on Earth, or maybe someone had two dogs for their Terran store and didn’t keep them apart. Or maybe they’d been bred on purpose in an alien puppy mill. It was impossible to know now, just like they couldn’t tell for sure how old Krypto was.

So many questions. But all small and moot in the face of this dog. Shiro didn’t care. He really, really didn’t. He just wanted Krypto to stay with them and continue to let Shiro pet his ears.

Eventually, his fingers did start to tire. With a sigh, Shiro pulled back, just to stretch and shake them out.

But Krypto’s eyes snapped open after just a couple of seconds. He picked his head up, then scooted himself along his stomach on the couch until he was pressed to Shiro’s side.

“Do you want food or more petting?” Shiro asked dryly, brows up in amusement.

Krypto let out another of those impatient ‘wuff’s. He stood, then took two delicate steps forward, carefully climbing over Shiro’s leg to stand in his lap. Then he put a paw on Shiro’s shoulder in silent demand.

“Still not sure what you’re getting at,” Shrio told Krypto, not bothering to hide his smile or the laugh in his voice. “You’re not being very specific, you know.”

Krypto stared for a moment longer, then used the paw on Shiro’s shoulder to climb up, a paw on either side of Shiro’s head. He leaned forward, and for a moment, Shiro expected to be licked. But instead, Krypto just panted in his face, gaze direct and demanding.

“Alright, alright,” Shiro laughed. “Bossy, aren’t you?” He reached up and scratched over Krypto’s neck, amused when he immediately flopped down on Shiro’s chest. Nevermind that he was nearly vertical, it seemed. “Greedy, too.”

Krypto didn’t respond, of course. He just closed his eyes and relaxed again.

Alright, if they were going to be doing this for a while, Shiro was going to get comfortable. He rested his metal arm behind Krypto’s legs, helping to keep him steady. Then he pushed back and to the side, scooting until he was laying down, Krypto still draped over him.

Krypto stared down at him, his claws digging in as Shiro moved under him. But once Shiro was totally flat and he was essentially laying normally, Krypto went back to his impatient paw tapping.

“Fine, I hear you.” Shiro started to pet again, back to the long, slow strokes. “Guess I shouldn’t have worried. You just needed to be introduced to the idea, seems like.”

Huffing, Krypto put his head back down, squirming until he was tucked under Shiro’s chin. He pressed up, seeming to enjoy the contact, then stretched his legs out. They went perfectly straight, nearly pushing them both off the couch, before Krypto relaxed completely.

Adorable goober of a dog.

Resting his chin on to top of Krypto’s head, Shiro smiled. “You’re damn cute. Heavy, too. You’re, what, 40 pounds? Maybe only 30. That’s still more weight than I need on my lungs, you know.”

When Shiro paused for breath, Krypto’s tail thumped, and he gave another impatient ‘wuff’.

Fine, fine, no more stopping.

Shiro scratched between Krypto’s ears, then pressed a kiss there too. “You’re warm, too. I’m going to overheat.”

The only reply was a firmer nudge under his chin. Clearly, Krypto was done with his talking.

Alright, then.

Eyes falling closed, Shiro enjoyed the sensation of a sleeping animal on top of him. It was the same delicate warm feelings as when one of his teammates slumped against him after a battle or during a movie.

It was trust.

Shrio’s chest felt inflated and molten, filled with more than he could contain. This wasn’t even something he’d thought about. The mice were nice, but they weren’t like this. They were too sentient, too alien, even if they had shapes Shiro vaguely recognized.

This was a dog laying on him like there was nothing different about Shiro. So long as he could provide food and pets, any differences didn’t matter.

This was like his childhood. It was like the couple of evenings he’d spent at the Holts’, where Baebae eagerly accepted attention from a novel human.

This felt like home should.

Eyes closed, Shiro wrapped his arms around Krypto, nuzzling in between his ears. For the moment, that contact seemed to be enough, because Krypto didn’t push for more petting.

With fur against his jaw and lips and a heavy weight over his chest, Shiro could almost believe we was a younger child again. He could almost think this was Kaguya, steady and patient, and that his mother was just the next room over.

Shiro could almost believe the world was innocent and small and safe again.

The feeling caught in his throat, making him swallow hard. If his bottom lip wavered, that was alright. Krypto was hiding that part of his face, and no one ever had to know about his slip.

Slowly, Shiro’s grip on Krypto relaxed. His breathing evened out and steadied, timing himself to Kryto’s gentle snores without meaning to.

Inch by inch, Shiro drifted off.

That night, his dreams weren’t of the Galra, or of captivity, or of battles to come.

Instead, they were of his childhood home, soft white fur and gentle eyes.

**

“Down,” Shiro ordered, arms crossed. “No way.”

Krypto stared back defiantly, ears perked and tail wagging in mocking opposition to Shiro’s command.

…Alright, that was dramatic, probably. But no less true.

“You’re not sleeping on my bed,” Shiro told him. “It’s dangerous.”

Krypto’s tail wagged harder, and he let out one of his quiet, impatient ‘wuffs’.

Groaning, Shiro pointed to the nest of blankets and pillows he’d set in the corner of his room. “You have your own bed. I don’t want you on mine. You’re not housebroken.”

Really, Shiro had no idea why he was trying to reason with a dog. Krypto definitely didn’t understand him. Krypto didn’t have his own name down pat, yet.

But Shiro somehow kept expecting the dog to magically understand his words and agreeably hop down and settle in bed for the night.

It just wasn’t safe for Krypto to sleep in bed with Shiro. Maybe he’d had a nice nap earlier, but that didn’t mean Shiro was nightmare free forever, now. And when Shiro had nightmares, he struck out.

If Shiro hit Krypto in his sleep, especially with the arm, he’d never forgive himself.

“Down!” Shiro repeated, his voice hardening and deepening.

From outside his door, there was a chuckle. “You talk to the dog like you talk to us,” Lance called through the walls.

Shiro huffed. “The dog listens about as well as you do.”

There was a pause, then the door opened. “That bad?” Lance grinned in greeting, standing awkwardly in the doorway.

Rooms were, for the most part, personal. When the team spent so much time in each other’s pockets, space to be alone was both precious and necessary. That could be violated occasionally, either in the name of good fun or just because of familiarity. Keith spent plenty of time in Shiro’s room, and Shiro regularly entered Pidge’s room with an armful of sleeping Green Paladin. But it was established protocol that none of them entered fully without permission.

Offering Lance a distracted smile, Shiro waved him in. “I’m trying to get him down. He can’t stay there.”

“Aww, why not? He’s so cute. He’s king of the hill now, Shiro.” Lance stepped over and scrubbed through Kryto’s neck fur, earning himself a happy doggy grin. “He’s much less keyed up than he was earlier.”

Shiro shrugged one shoulder. “He had a nap. That helped.” It had made Shiro feel better too, until Krypto had decided to go rogue.

“That’d do it.” Lance continued to rub. “You don’t want him on the furniture or something? Because I don’t think he can do a lot of damage.”

Shiro huffed. “Sure he can.  He still doesn’t know where to use the bathroom.  I’d prefer not to wake up to that.”

That made Lance pause and frown. “Oh. Good point. Eugh. I was about to offer my room, but no thanks. I’m good with it not smelling like dog pee.” He glanced back over his shoulder, brows up. “That the only reason?”

“It’s a perfectly good reason on it’s own,” Shiro replied, voice sharp. But under Lance’s gaze he sighed. “He can’t sleep on my bed anyway. I’m not a still sleeper.”

Lance nodded sympathetically. “Fair enough. Well, I don’t think you’re going to get anywhere the way you were doing it. So let’s just-” Lance scooted his arms under Krypto and lifted him up.

Yelping in alarm, Krypto bolted to his feet and scrambled down, away from Lance. He pressed against Shiro’s legs instead like he was looking for protection.

Lance’s face fell. “Oh. Oops. Sorry, Churro.”

“Stop with the names, you’re going to confuse him,” Shiro ordered, shooting Lance a flat look. Then he kneeled down, tone changing completely. “Aww, poor baby boy. Did Lance scare you, Krypto? Did he startle you?”

Brows up, Lance’s expression went flat. “It’s still so weird to hear you talk like that. I prefer the ordering around.” He paused, leaning back on his hands and frowning. “I’ve never seen you like this.”

“Like what?” Shiro ran his palm down Krypto’s back. The dog absorbed the affection eagerly, tail thumping.

Lance gestured to the pair of them. “All… like this. With that face and that tone. It’s like you’re melting.”

“Thanks.”

“It’s not a bad thing,” Lance clarified. “We’ve seen you being, you know, soft and nice and all that. But not cooing.”

Shiro considered that, then shrugged. “Keith and Pidge have, though I don’t know she remembers. And there wasn’t much of a reason for it. There weren’t dogs till now.”

“There was the Yupper, but fair enough.” Lance climbed off of the bed and sat down in front of Krypto, offering his hand. After a few moments of sniffing, Krytpo offered himself for more petting. “It’s a good thing, like I said. You’re just happier.”

“I’ve been happy,” Shiro replied, voice tightening. “You guys make me happy. You’re my family. Krypto isn’t better at it than you guys.”

Lance laughed. “He is a little, sorry to tell you. Nah, it’s okay. Krypto is your dog. We all got that already. He already shadows you. And if that makes you relaxed and happy, you deserve that. We could all do with more of that.”

Shiro tilted his head, considering Lance’s words. “Thank you. I appreciate that, but what brought this on?”

“Maybe not fight the affection so much, I guess,” Lance replied. “See what happens.”

Shiro stared. “I could kill Krypto.”

Pausing, Lance frowned at him. “That’s dark.”

“That’s reality.”

Lance considered that. “If you really think it’s a bad idea, fine. But you’re going to have to physically keep removing him from your bed, I think. Or kick him out of your room completely. He’s going to want to stick with you.”

That wasn’t anything Shiro hadn’t already known. He sighed and nodded. “Yeah.” Kissing the top of Krypto’s head, he sighed. “But he doesn’t always get what he wants. That’s part of training. I’ll keep removing him until he stays off. I just need to show some discipline.”

“You keep telling yourself that,” Lance replied. “As if you’re not already crazy about this dog.”

Shiro closed his eyes. “Crazy enough to be stern if it’ll keep him safe.” He took his hands away, and sighed as Krypto immediately jumped back onto the bed. “No!” The sudden, deep tone made Krypto duck his head sadly, but he still didn’t move on his own.

Sighing, Shiro took a deep breath. Then he scooped Krypto up and set him down on the floor. “No!”

Krypto stared up at him, his dark eyes huge and mournful at the betrayal.

“I’m so doomed,” Shiro sighed.

Lance laughed. “Yeah. Well, if he doesn’t get it, you’ll have to find somewhere else for him to sleep. I’m still not volunteering, not until he’s house trained, but I bet Pidge’ll take him.”

That was true. But…

Glancing over at Lance, Shiro’s shoulders slumped. “I guess.”

“Ah, man,” Lance groaned. “No. Don’t look at me like that. You’re worse than the damn dog.”

“No, you’re right. If he won’t stay down he needs to be somewhere else, and I don’t want to close him in a room by himself all night.” The very thought of Krypto giving his pleading ‘wuffs’ and only getting a closed door in response broke Shiro’s heart. He wouldn’t be able to sleep anyway, just because he’d been thinking of that all night.

Lance shook his head. “Give it time. You won’t sleep for a while yet anyway, right? And Pidge won’t care if you wake her up to drop off a sleepy dog. She’ll probably hug you, actually.”

That might be the only thing Pidge would welcome being woken up for. She was easily the worst morning person of them all.

“True,” Shiro agreed, offering Lance a smile. “Hopefully he’ll understand soon. I do have tr-” he cut himself off and glanced at Krypto, whose attention was suddenly fully on Shiro’s face. His name was shaky, but Krypto already understood the word ‘treats.’ “Dog snacks that are not to be named. I’d prefer not to bring out a water bottle if I can. I don’t really like training by punishment.” He busied himself scratching through Krypto’s ruff. “We don’t need that, do we, baby? No we don’t. Not for the best dog in the whole wide universe.”

“Still weird,” Lance told him, not bothering to hide his laugh. “I admit, I don’t have much practice for this one. My older brother was allergic so we never had furred pets. Always wanted one, but you know how it is.”

Shiro glanced up. “Oh, I’m sorry to hear that. Honestly, being allergic to dogs is my nightmare. But, well, now you get to have your fill. Including the fun parts, like cleaning up messes and getting drooled on.”

Head tilted, Lance hummed thoughtfully. “Is it too late to take him back to the locals?”

Immediately, Shiro clapped both his hands over Krypto’s ears. “Don’t say that!” He snapped, and for a moment he really and truly worried that Lance would hurt Krypto’s feelings.

Then he remembered that if the dog understood their languages, he wouldn’t have the problem with the bed. Also, Krypto was a  _ dog. _

Laughing, Lance held up his hands. “I sincerely apologize to Krypto.” He gave a deep bow to the dog. “Have I offended his highness?”

Krypto stared at Lance’s head for a moment, then rested a paw on his head, like he was looking for pets or food.

“I think he forgives you,” Shiro pronounced.

“Thank God,” Lance replied, grinning. “Alright, I’m heading off. Night, Shiro. Night, Krypto. Sleep well.”

Shiro sighed. “We can only hope. Have a good night, Lance.”

With a last wave, Lance headed out, and Shiro could hear him laughing quietly to himself as he made his way down the hall. The door closed behind him automatically, leaving the two of them in the dim room.

“You going to get it this time?” Shiro asked, pointing a finger at Krypto. “No bed, okay? No.”

Krypto’s ears tilted forward, listening to his voice intently. Then he looked away, sniffing delicately at the air.

“I’m going to take that as a yes.”

With that, Shiro climbed back into bed. He pulled a pad into his lap, prepared to setting in with some reading. There were some novels that he’d gotten translated, and now would be a good time to-

The bed dipped with the weight of a bored dog.

This was going to be a long night.

***

It took two hours of Krypto trying and failing to sneak up on the bed with Shiro before he finally gave up. In return, Shiro rewarded him with treats whenever he successfully stayed in his dog bed for long periods of time. Eventually, either Krypto understood what Shiro expected of him, or he just got tired. He finally,  _ finally,  _ fell asleep in his own bed.

Shiro spent another hour reading, simply enjoying the sound of Krypto’s soft snores feet away. It wasn’t the same as having that warm, fluffy weight pressed against his legs or tucked under his arm, but it was nice all the same. That was a dog. Their dog.  _ His _ dog. Right there. Just a few feet away.

Honestly, it took a lot of his self control not to wake Krypto up to go pet him. It was hard when he was so damn cute.

But eventually Shiro started to fade himself. Dimming the lights further, he put the pad up, changed into his night clothes, then relaxed into sleep.

It didn’t last long.

_ Glowing yellow eyes and long claws on his chest, pinning him down. There was a whine from above, and someone- no, Ulaz, Shiro knew that Galra, that was Ulaz. He pressed something to Shiro’s left arm, and within moments his struggles slowed. He was limp on the table, no matter how hard he screamed. Reaching up, one of the Galra took hold of something circular and glowing. It was the source of the whining, and as it came closer Shiro could tell it was spinning, and- _

Shiro woke with a start, kicking off the sheets and swinging wildly at the figures no longer encircling him. His breath caught in his throat and lungs, sputtering and too thin. He couldn’t take deep breaths, couldn’t calm down, couldn’t see through the gloom. There was-

There was whining.

Soft, familiar whining. Not like the noise of the saw, but organic, natural, known.

Krypto.

Taking several more deep breaths, Shiro looked over at Krypto’s bed. He was still curled up in it, but his ears were pushed back all the way. He shifted, nearly rocking in place, and it took Shiro a moment to realize he was keeping himself from getting up.

If Krypto was here, he was on the castle. This was his dog, sad and confused, months after he’d escaped. Not there. Not with Haggar, not with his body about to be irrevocably changed.

“Hey, boy,” Shiro greeted. “Did I scare you? I’m s-”

He cut off as Krypto bounded to his feet and jumped up onto the bed at full speed. The dog bullet impacted Shiro’s chest at force, forcing him back onto the bed. Then, Krypto flopped against his chest, whining again and pushing himself against Shiro’s closest hand.

The metal one.

At first, Shiro jerked back, startled. But Krypto gave him such a wounded look for the rejection that Shiro immediately started to stroke his head.

Krypto finally started to settle, still watching him carefully, almost fearfully. But it wasn’t fear of Shiro. It was fear for him. He must have been making terrified sounds in his sleep, to spook the poor dog this badly.

“I’m okay,” Shiro murmured, slowing his petting down to long strokes. “I’m just fine. I’m awake now, and I’m here with you. I’m sorry for scaring you. We’re both here in the castle and we’re both safe, don’t you worry.”

They were. They were safe, and they were home, and there was a living creature on his chest, treating him like he was the source of all comfort in the universe.

Swallowing hard, Shiro wrapped his arms around Krypto and pulled him in closer. Then he buried his face in the short white fur, taking deep breaths to control himself. “We’re okay.”

Krypto squirmed, getting comfortable again, then easily rested his head on Shiro’s shoulder. His tail gave a quick, thumping wag, smacking Shiro’s thigh.

“You’re not supposed to be up here, you know,” Shiro murmured. “But I’m glad you are.”

Obviously, Krypto had no answer to that. But the snuffling, cold nose in the crook of his neck was all the response Shiro needed.

They stayed like that, mutually clinging, for nearly an hour. By the end of it, Shiro was shocked to find he was actually tired enough to sleep. Normally his nightmares left him too spooked to go back to sleep. But not today.

He suspected he knew why.

“Guess you’re a service dog now,” Shiro told Krypto, fondly flicking the tip of the flopped down ear. Krypto blinked at him, as if to ask a question. “Well, no, not really. You need special training for that. But you did a good job anyway. Gold star. Good boy.” The last two words got him another thumping wag.

Smiling, Shiro kissed the top of Krypto’s head. “Okay, back to bed. Off. I appreciate the comfort and I loved our snuggle time, but you can’t sleep on this bed. If I wake up like that again I could hurt you. I don’t want that.”

It took some shoving, but Krypto finally hopped down. With a last mournful look, he trudged to his bed and laid down with a heavy sigh.

Despite his dramatics, he was asleep in moments.

“Good boy,” Shiro repeated to himself, smiling at the curled up lump of white fur.

Then he turned over, laying in the warm spot that Krypto had left behind. He grabbed his pillow and held it to his chest, just like he’d been doing with the dog moments before.  He could hear Krypto’s steady, slow breathing, just like before.

He fell asleep quickly like that.

When he woke up next, it was to the alarm.

Glancing over, Shiro saw Krypto settled on his bed. He picked his head up and gave a sleepy wag. Even in the low light of Shiro’s room, his eyes were liquid and warm, attentive to Shiro.

Krypto looked like he loved him.

“Hey, boy,” Shiro murmured. He pushed himself to the edge of the bed, smiling as Krypto hopped eagerly to his feet, ready to meet him.

“Let’s go face the day, huh?”


End file.
